An Unlikely Meeting
"So, what were all yer friends like on Berk?"
Merida and Hiccup were traveling on a familiar road through the forest, someplace they could be alone and be able to talk about Hiccup's viking life. Though they were only walking and Angus was miles away in the castle stables, Merida still shot her bow at her scattered targets she hid in the forest. Ever since she discovered he was a viking, Merida had been asking him all sorts of questions about Berk.
"Well, I don't have very many friends, but then again there aren't that many kids my age on Berk. The twins, Ruffnut and Tuffnut are the definitions of danger and disaster. Snoutlout is...well put nicely he's a hothead. Fishlegs can be shy, but he loves dragons and he keeps track of everything we do with the dragons. Astrid...well if you take the beauty of a sunrise and the ferocity of a Deadly Nadder and put them together, you'd get Astrid."
"Ah suppose her name is fittin' then."
Hiccup raised an eyebrow.
"Well, that's what her name means, right? It's Germanic for 'Divine Beauty.'" Merida said, trying to explain herself. "She must be quite popular on Berk."
"She is. And I think you'd like her. You both have a lot of the same qualities."
"How so?"
"Well, you guys are certainly no damsels in distress, you take matters in your own hands, and I'm pretty sure if I went up against you in a battle, I lose within the first five minutes."
"Heh, you'd lose within the first three."
He gave her a mocking laugh, "Thanks, I really appreciate that."
"Well, ah suppose yer lucky ta have her then. If ah remember correctly, she's th' one who kissed ye?" Merida nudged him in the ribs with her elbow, causing him to blush and stumble a bit.
His face remained red as he mumbled and slurred through his words. "Yeah,sowhatifshekissedme?Itwasanicekissbutstill.. ."
Merida laughed at his shyness, seizing the opportunity to poke more fun at him. "So does that mean ah'm hearin' about a future wife of th' chief then?" she nudged him again, though this time he pushed her away to get her out of range, but Merida didn't stop laughing at him.
"Well, it doesn't matter much now. I have no way of getting home, and by the looks of things she may have to be stuck with someone else."
Merida stopped laughing. Though she loved having Hiccup here in DunBroch, he didn't belong here and he needed to get home. "Hiccup?"
"Yeah?"
"If there's anythin' we can do ta help ye, don't be afraid ta ask."
"Thanks, Merida. But I don't know there's much of anything that anyone can do."
The just kept walking for a while, Merida still thinking of way to help Hiccup. Perhaps they could give him a boat, but he has no idea where his island is. If they sent a large crew with him, then they'd have to explain the whole situation of him being a viking, and that might not go over well. She sighed, then kicked a branch out of the path. She pulled her cloak tighter around her arms as a biting wind blew across their faces. As it died down, she heard a small sound.
"Do ye hear that?" Merida said, turning to Hiccup, who was busy brushing snow off his head that dropped on him from a towering tree.
"Hear what? The wind?"
"No, not th' wind. Listen..."
A faint, high pitched call blew through the trees from what seemed like every direction. It was minuscule, like a whisper, yet it seemed somewhat...familiar...
In a split moment, Merida knew what it was. She turned her head in every direction, trying to find the source of the noise.
"Merida, what are you doing?"
She turned to Hiccup who had a confused look planted on his face.
"Can't ye hear it?"
"Hear WHAT?"
"Shhhh!" She began looking around again, though the sound seemed to be fading. It was getting farther and farther away, but it was calling to her, coaxing her. Then a small giggle ringed in her ears and she turned to face Hiccup. Then there it was. A small, blue, translucent flame beckoning to her just a few yards away from where Hiccup was standing. Immediately she dashed off toward it, pieces of snow flying off her hair as she nearly tripped over a log with her winter boots.
Hiccup was utterly confused, and he turned to see what she was running after. But she nearly knocked him over as she tripped, and by the time he picked himself up, she was gone, and so was the object she was chasing after. Sighing, he dusted himself off, then started trekking up the hill she disappeared over. He continued walking, the snow soaking into his fur boot. Finally he made it over the hill, but Merida was nowhere to be seen. All that was there was a clearing that Hiccup had seen before.
He made his way to the middle of a ring of large stones the stood at least 20 feet high. Only one was cracked and fallen over from the time the Queen killed Mor'du. It looked much different than when he saw it earlier. Now everything was covered in ice and snow, giving an eerie mood to the whole scene. Everything seemed cold and lifeless as no amount of color showed through the landscape, except for Hiccup himself.
After a moment of taking in the scenery, Hiccup remembered why he was there, and looked around for Merida. Of course, she was nowhere to be seen. He looked around the ground to find her footprints so as to follow her, though something was off. He looked back to where he entered the ring of stones, and he saw two sets of footprints, one from him and the other from Merida. Though at the entrance of the stones, Merida's footprints disappeared. A bit bewildered, Hiccup looked up to see if it was possible for her to jump on something, but even Merida's athletic ability couldn't beat the height of the boulders.
He retraced his steps, making sure he didn't just cross paths with her, but it was all in vain. Merida seemed to have just...disappeared. Panic filled his mind as he fell into the snow, his hands trembling in fear. He knew Merida had encountered magic before as she told him, but even then he had a hard time believing in magic. Ugh, my head hurts... he thought to himself as he grasped a large amount of his brown hair to ease the pain.
"Are you alright, laddie?"
Hiccup quickly turned, expecting to see Merida, but instead he saw a rather old woman with silvery hair that puffed out due to its curly texture. Her back was bent forward far, making her look as though she would fall over at any moment, and she was wrapped in a tattered, green cloak. Hiccup was surprised she wasn't freezing in such a thin covering.
"Uh, no." he said, releasing his hair. "Well, yes. But...ha-have you seen a young girl run by here recently?"
"A young girl?" she said, walking over to Hiccup. Though he thought she waddled more than walked.
Hiccup stood up, "Yeah, she's wearing a deep blue cloak; got blue eyes; bright, red, curly hair."
"Ah! you mean that lovely princess from the castle up the road?"
"Yes! Yes, her! Do you know where she went?"
"Well, I haven't seen her for a while. I was hoping she'd come back to view what I had in stock. Completely ran me out last time."
"When's the last time you saw her?"
"Oh, about a year ago."
Hiccup groaned. That was no good. Who knows what kind of trouble she's getting into, not to mention he doesn't know the way back as well as she does.
"Well, thanks anyway..." Hiccup then turned to leave the way he came. Hopefully he could just follow his footprints back and then he could tell the king his daughter is missing. He shivered at the idea as he looked for his footprints where he entered the ring of stones. Wait...where are they? Hiccup looked around, but all his footprints had vanished. He looked up. The snow looked as though no one had ever been there before, but no snow was falling. In fact he swore he could even see a few holes in the clouds where he could see the sky.
He looked over to the old woman, as if she had the answers, but she just smiled at him innocently and said, "Are ye lost, laddie?"
He looked back to the ground, expecting the footprints to appear again, but they didn't. "Yeah...I think..." he responded.
"Well, would you like to come to my house for a nice, hot drink? It's been a while since I had visitors." She turned and began waddling away toward the edge of the forest.
Hiccup hesitated. Sure, a warm drink sounded nice in this weather, but Merida was still gone. He looked around, trying to find her bright, red hair against the dull snow, then started after the old woman.
He followed her deep into the forest where they zigzagged through trees and bushes that decided it would be fun to entangle themselves with Hiccup's borrowed cloak. After a few moments of wrestling with a few thorny plants, he managed to free himself and continued following the woman. Occasionally, she would look back and smile at him as if he complimented her or something, then turn back around and keep walking. This made Hiccup wonder if he really should be following her. She could be leading him into a trap, getting him off his path then robbing him or something. He eyed her physique, trying to see if her "waddling" was just an act. Though it pained him to watch her, thinking in his mind that she could really use a cane.
Eventually they made it to a small cottage. Just like everything else, it was covered in snow with icicles hanging over the door and window. Right next to it, a large amount of lumber was stacked as high a the roof. Through the window, he could see the flickering light of a fire, making him eager to enter the house. She opened the door, allowing him to enter the house first and taking in the view before she offered him a seat.
It was only one room, with a fireplace in the corner that sat next to a small stove and a sink. A rug with an colorful design that looked almost like bears dancing and playing fiddles and bagpipes. There was a small bed with many quilts and a desk lining the wall o the right of the door, and finally, near the sink there was a wooden table with a few chairs. The old woman offered him one, allowing him to sit close to the fire. Thanking her, he sat down, pulling off his cloak so all of his body could feel the radiating heat.
Soon she came over with two mugs filled with some hot liquid. Handing one to Hiccup, she sat down next to him, taking large gulps of her drink. Hiccup eyed his own mug, watching as the drink moved around the edges in his shivering hands. He took a sip, bracing himself like he did whenever he tried something new, though he relaxed as the hot liquid rolled over his tongue and seeped down his throat, warming him to the very bone.
The woman smiled, happy to see her guest so satisfied. Putting her own cup down, she finally perked up a conversation.
"So, how do you know th' wee princess of DunBroch?"
Hiccup looked at her over his cup, then finished his last gulp. "She rescued me from the water after I was cast adrift from a storm. She and her family have been taking care of me ever since. What about you?"
"Oh, she was an old patron. She bought everything I had in stock. Don't know what she did with it all, but I'm sure she put it to good use."
"What do you sell?"
"I'm a woodcarver. I sell all kinds of carvings. Furniture, trinkets, frames, everything."
Hiccup traveled through his memory, trying to identify all the carvings that were stationed in the castle. He gave up after a short while due to the many artifacts that the family of DunBroch owned.
"I'm sure you have some nice carvings then. I'd like to see some one day. Where's your store?"
The woman's eyes suddenly went wide for some odd reason, "Ah! Well, I still have to set it up. It may not be here for a while, winter issues." After she was done talking, she gave him a big smile, then quickly began drinking some more as Hiccup raised an eyebrow.
"Well, you have a nice house."
"Thank you. Though it had to go under some renovation."
"How come?"
"To be honest, I have no idea. I cam home from the Wickerman's festival in Stoneleigh one spring and it was completely demolished! Took some effort getting it back together before the ice set in."
"Okay..." he said slowly, "Well, it was nice meeting you..."
"You can just call me the Crafty Wood Carver."
"Right...but I should be going. It seems to be getting late, and I still don't know where my friend is." He stood up, wrapping his cloak around his shoulders once more.
"Oh, well alright. It was nice having you over, I hope you come back to visit."
"Yeah sure...if I can find it again..."
"What was that?"
"Nothing!" He opened the door, and stepped into the cold winds. She followed him out, guiding him and giving directions.
"If you follow those brushes, it should lead you back to the place I found you at."
"Okay. Thanks for sharing your fire with me, and your beverage. It was really nice."
"Of course, dearie. Now take care!"
He nodded and turned to keep walking, but he turned back around once he heard her door open again, and he saw her come out, close the door, snap her finger and walk back in. She did it so casually as if she did it on a regular basis, not noticing Hiccup staring at her just a few feet away. Curiosity getting the best of him, he walked back to the cottage and looked through the window. To his surprise, he could no longer see the orange, moving light of a fire, but instead it was very dark inside, making it hard for him to see anything. Confused, he opened the door without invitation and walked in.
Inside was the same size, but there were many wooden carvings of figurines and curios, many of which had a bear-like shape. Hiccup stood, eyes wide and mouth hanging open. He looked over to find the woman staring back at him, frozen in motion with her hand in the air holding a hammer while the other held a wedge in place on a rather large piece of wood.
"Oh! Hello there!" she said, pulling a fake smile. She dropped her hammer and chisel and quickly walked over to Hiccup. "Sorry, but I don't have time to talk right now. You know, it's best you forget what you saw here, now I'll be seeing you later. Ta-ta!" She started pushing him out the door as she spoke, his metal foot scraping across the floor.
"Wait...wha-?" Hiccup tried to stay inside, bracing himself between the door posts. "Hold on! Are you a wi-"
"Yes, I'm a woodcarver. Thank you for shopping at the Crafty Carver, goodbye!"
"Just wait a second!" He pushed her back, and closed the door so she couldn't force him out. "Are you a witch?"
"No, I'm not! And I don't care if any wisps led you here, or even if Saint Nicholas led you here for me ta give you a spell. Just get out now!" He began pushing him again, but this time the door opened by itself and Hiccup had to once again hold himself in by wedging himself between the door posts.
"Woah, woah, calm down. I don't want any spell!"
She stopped forcing him out and took a step back. "You don't?"
"No, why would I want a spell?" He smoothed out his clothing, trying to get out all the wrinkles the woman made while shoving him.
"Well, magic CAN be handy at times. There are spells for breathing underwater, strength of ten men, I could even do something about that leg of yours." She pointed to his left foot as the metal squeaked under his weight.
"Uh, no thanks. It's fine the way it is." He smiled a bit as he remembered his long-lost friend. "Though something I wouldn't mind would be if you could show me how I'll look in the next few years."
"What do you think I am? Some fortune teller? Besides, I am officially out of the witchcraft business, I put my cauldron to rest, and I haven't done any spells since that redhead girl."
Hiccup's eyes widened ever so slightly, "Wait, YOU'RE the witch that turned Merida's mom into a bear?"
"Hey! I didn't turn her mother into anything! She asked for the spell, I gave it to her. It was her decision to do what she pleased with it!"
"Okay, okay. Sheesh."
"But are you sure you don't want anything?"
"Now it sounds like you want me to buy a potion or something."
"Not necessarily a spell or potion, but a carving maybe because I'm a WOODCARVER and nothing else?"
"Uhhh...no?"
"Oh, well then. GET OUT!" Next thing Hiccup knew, a broom came out of nowhere and smacked him across the face after the witch snapped her finger like how she did outside. His temporary pain was eased once he came in full contact with the snow.
Groaning, he turned to complain, but once he looked up, the witch was gone. In fact her entire house was gone. He looked around to find he was back in the ring of stones. He turned over. This was all too much for him to handle. It was enough trying to accept magic from Merida's story, but it reality of it unfolding before his eyes made him sick to the stomach. Not only that, he met a real life witch. Shoving his face in the snow, he tried to suppress the throbbing in his head.
"Hiccup?" Immediately, the boy turned over to the familiar female voice. Merida was standing in front of him holding a quizzical look on her face. "What are ye doin' down there?"
He wiped some of the melting snow off his face. "N-nothing."
"Well, get up then. It's gettin' dark an' ye know how mah mum is when we come home late." She held out her hand, pulling him off his rear.
"Right. Let's go." They started off into the forest after he brushed himself off, flakes of snow detaching from his hair and cloak. They had only began walking a few feet when he looked back, trying to remember the way to the "woodcarver's" cottage.
"Did ye lose somethin'?" He turned to see Merida's head cocked at him, and he noticed they had stopped walking.
Shaking his head, he turned forward to keep walking.
Trips
"So, they didn't lead you anywhere? You just kept going around in circles?"
"Aye, after a while ah just gave up, though it took some time gettin' back to where ah left ya."
Hiccup and Merida were back in the castle, once again in the library pouring over trade routes and clan history. They received a cold scolding from her mother, though it seemed mellow compared to the frosty weather outside. After she was done, they set aside their outdoor attire and went to the dining room to eat. Since everyone else had already finished dinner, they agreed to take theirs to the library, occasionally eating a few bites as they scanned through pages. Hiccup had decided not to tell Merida about the witch, since he had no idea how she's react.
"But I thought you said the wisps were supposed to lead you to your fate."
"Well, maybe mah fate is can't be determined at this point."
"Or maybe your fate is to run around in circles through a forest for the rest of your life!" Hiccup joked. Merida threw a bone from her mutton at his face, the greasy piece of skeleton only barely missing his cheek. He returned the favor by flicking a pea at her that hit right above her eyebrow. Deciding not to start a food fight, she stuck her tongue out at him as she tried not to laugh. Chuckling, they went back to reading. They continued in silence as the fire roared next to them, though they were interrupted when a maid walked in.
"Eithne*? What are ye doin' here?"
Eithne was a small girl, probably in her early teens, younger than Hiccup and Merida. If she could be described through one word, it would be mouse. She had large, hazel eyes with moppy gray hair that fell to her mid-back. She always had a wary eye about her, and she spoke with such a soft voice.
"Pardon me, ma'am. But th' queen would like ta have a word with ye."
"About what?"
"She didn't say, ma'am."
Merida groaned, slamming her book shut and standing from her warm seat just before throwing the book on a cushion. She followed the maid, Eithne up the stone steps, leaving Hiccup alone. Though he was a bit sad she had to leave, he didn't mind the silence. He simply kept reading, searching for a new kingdom or clan that he already hadn't come across. He had been making notes on some of them, trying to narrow down his search on who killed his mother. Suddenly he stopped scribbling in his notebook. What was he going to do once or if he did find out who it was? It's not like he can just waltz up to them and take revenge. Though revenge might not even be such a good idea either. His father might disagree, but Hiccup accepted the loss of his mother, and revenge won't do anything for anyone but bring more sadness. But he did want them to know the pain they caused him. He put his head down like how he did in the snow, his forehead meeting the pages of his notebook.
Moments later, Merida came grumbling and stomping down the stair. Hiccup raised his head to see what was going on. She had a look of annoyance on her face, and he thought he heard some Gaelic curses under her breath. She stopped right in front of him, ready to rant about why she was upset, though she took one look at Hiccup's face, then suddenly burst out laughing.
Hiccup looked behind him, wondering if one of her brothers was pulling a prank on him, but no one was around. He looked back at her, but she was still dying of laughter, but she pointed at his face. He waited till she was finished, glaring at her the whole time hoping she would explain. Finally, she calmed down, sitting herself on the cold floor.
"Ye've got a little somethin' on yer crown." She gritted her teeth to keep from laughing, and Hiccup wiped his forehead and looked at his sleeve to see what had caused so much amusement. He rolled his eyes when he saw a black smudge cover his sleeve. The charcoal from his notebook must have rubbed off when he put his head down. He tried rubbing the rest off, but unfortunately he had no mirror.
"Here, ah'll get it, ye lamb." Merida scooted closer to him, then used the hem of her dress to clean off the remaining charcoal. After she finished, she nodded her head in satisfaction.
"Right, now what was THAT all about?" Hiccup said, gesturing to the library door.
Merida's face fell. Her smile turned to a grimace, and she pulled her knees to her chest. "Mah mum decided ta tell me TODAY that we were leavin' fer th' home of Lord MacGuffin TOMORROW."
"How come?"
"Ah don't know! She probably still wants me ta choose a suitor fer marriage!"
"And she wants it to be the son of Lord MacGuffin?"
"Actually, in mah opinion, Cathal** is th' best choice out o' th' three."
"Cathal?"
"Th' first born son of Lord MacGuffin. He's not bad compared ta th' other two. He's definitely stronger, he's just shy ah guess."
"Well, if he's the perfect choice, why don't you just go ahead marry him then?" Hiccup nudged her leg playfully, but she slapped his hand away.
"Ah said he was th' better choice. Not th' perfect choice. And as far as ah stand, ah still won't marry ANY o' them."
Hiccup raised his hands in defeat. "Okay, okay. But if you already know your mom's motives, why would she wait till now to tell you?"
"Eh, probably so ah couldn't talk her out of it. Ah managed ta get out of meetin' with th' Dingwalls this past summer."
"How?"
"It was durin' th' rainy season, so ah went out ridin' every day an' eventually caught a minor cold. Not bad enough ta be bedridden, but enough ta fake it through."
"Wow, you would risk your own health and safety just to get out of things?"
"Ah wouldn't say ta get out o' things, just preserve mah freedom fer a little longer. Lord knows when ah won't have it anymore."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, ah won't be able to avoid marriage fer mah entire life. Even though ah wouldn't mind it, ah still have duties ta attend to. Ah'm next in line fer th' throne, an' this kingdom will need a new king eventually." Merida sighed. She obviously still didn't like the prospect of marriage, but at least she's accepting it now. Suddenly he eyes lit up.
"Oy! Why don't ye come with us?"
"What?"
"Ta see Lord Macguffin tomorrow! It would make the trip a lot less irritatin'."
"Are you sure that's a good idea?"
"Why wouldn't it be?"
"Well...I don't know. I just get the feeling I'd just get in the way."
She rolled her eyes. "Oh, come on, Hiccup. Yer much more useful than ye make yerself out ta be." Giving him a reassuring smile, she stood up and patted his head before walking out the door. As she made her way up the stairs, she called out to him, "Ah'm goin' ta bed. You should to, 'cause yer goin' whether ye like it or not!"
*Scottish name meaning "kernel or grain"
**Scottish name meaning "battle mighty"